Captured
by 0074
Summary: Warning: Potential spoilers for s8. Inspired by the photos and little bits of info released in the lead up to the new series, this is my version of what I think could happen/would like to happen in an 'abducted and locked in a room' scenario.
1. Chapter 1

**_Warning:_ Potential spoilers for s8. Inspired by the photos and little bits of info released in the lead up to the new series, this is my version of what I think could happen / what I would like to see happen in the 'Harry and Ruth are abducted and locked in a room' scenario. I'm sure Kudos will do it much better (I hope), especially since they actually know what's meant to be going on!**

Harry struggled to regain his balance as he was shoved roughly onto a hard chair. He was handcuffed and he couldn't see a thing.

A dark hood had been thrust over his head just moments after he had seen Viktor Sarkisiian shot at close range. He hadn't expected that. Sarkisiian had taken advantage of Harry's recklessness - played him like he hadn't been played in a long time.

Walking into FSB headquarters was far from the smartest move Harry had ever made, but there seemed to be no alternative. He needed to save his team from the Russians so they could stop the bomb, and the only way he could see to do that was to convince Sarkisiian of the nuclear threat, and get him to call off his dogs.

As far as he knew, it had worked – he had caught snatches of conversations which implied as much – but not long after, Harry had found himself overpowered, bound and gagged, and thrown into the boot of a car. The next thing he saw was Viktor Sarkisiian and the spinning rotor blades of a helicopter. Both disappeared from view as a zip enclosed Harry in a body bag, and he was carried on board the helicopter.

Harry felt physically ill at his predicament. In all his years with MI5 he had never been more terrified that this could actually be it. All kinds of thoughts and memories flashed through his mind; his children, the team whom he hoped would quickly realise he was missing, colleagues who were long gone, but not forgotten, and one in particular.

Harry's was a predicament which became even more complicated when he discovered that he was actually being traded. A trade that was deadly serious. Sarkisiian had made some kind of deal, but he hadn't reckoned on being double-crossed. Harry had been released from the body bag after a long journey in the helicopter, and they were on a rooftop somewhere with the helicopter waiting to take off again. Sarkisiian's smugly complacent face turned to Harry as two men approached from the stairwell. It was the wrong moment to be distracted, as one of the new arrivals used that moment to pull a handgun from his jacket, aim, and fire it at Sarkisiian who fell to the ground.

Harry could only watch the events unfold. He stood there with nowhere to run, still bound and gagged, breathing deeply through his nose as the men continued their approach.

***************************

After he landed on the chair, it was only a few seconds before the hood covering his head was suddenly ripped upwards, revealing a room bathed in bright sunlight. Harry's first reaction was to narrow his eyes and let them adjust to the glare. His second was to glance around and evaluate his surroundings. The room was bare, and he could see no immediate chance of escape.

"What do you want?" he asked

"Uranium. You took it, we want it back."

"What uranium?" Harry really was unsure what they were on about.

"Come now Harry, you know what I'm talking about. The Middle East, four years ago. You and your friends took it. Now where is it?"

Harry did know now what they were referring to. He was the only one left who did know anything about it. Well, there was one other person, but they couldn't be in the same danger he now found himself in, not now.

Harry refused to say anything further. The hood was placed over his head again, and he heard his captors leaving the room.

***************************

Nobody came back to the room for a long time. Harry thought that given the fading light it could have been half a day or longer, but wasn't sure. It was so easy to lose track of time. It seemed fairly pointless trying to stay awake – he could see nothing he could do to escape – so when his eyes started to close, he allowed himself the luxury of drifting into a light sleep.

When he was awoken by the sound of the door opening at the back of the room, the light had returned and his neck ached from the awkward position his body had been in for the last couple of hours.

Harry couldn't see who entered the room, but he could hear and feel the presence of several people behind him. A man walked in front of him and placed another chair directly opposite his, and then walked back out of view again.

Someone stood behind the chair Harry was seated on and forcefully grabbed hold of his shoulders to pull him upright, his head tilted backwards. There was more movement and Harry's eyes swiveled up and to the left to try and see what was happening. He could barely believe what he saw, his eyes widened and he reeled in shock as Ruth's terrified face stared back at him. Her eyes looked like they were about to overflow with tears, and she was clearly struggling not to say anything, but she didn't seem as surprised to see him as he was to see her.

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Continuing with chapter two straight away. The real thing is almost here, so it needs to be done.**

One of the men moved Ruth to stand in front of Harry, who was still staring with wide eyes, his face pale, and chest heaving as he breathed deeply.

"You see Harry, we know you know where it is. And you're not the only one." The taller man addressed him with a taunting edge to his voice. "So if you won't tell us, perhaps she will?"

Harry's eyes kept moving back and forth, from Ruth to the man who was speaking. He didn't know what to do. He was stuck between the rock and that abysmally hard place.

The second man moved his hand to his jacket. Just as he had done as he approached Harry and Sarkisiian on the rooftop, he grabbed hold of a gun. This time he aimed it at Harry's head, at point blank range. He didn't pull the trigger, but it seemed only a matter of time, and Harry's breathing became more erratic as he now kept his eyes glued to Ruth.

The first man, the one who was standing next to Ruth had pulled her to sit on the other chair and squatted next to her, looking over to Harry. "Okay Harry. Let's try again. Where is the the uranium?"

Harry said nothing, so the man turned to Ruth. "Your turn Ruth. Tell us where it is."

The gun still pointed directly at him, Harry shook his head at Ruth, telling her not to say anything. She didn't say a word, but her face was gripped with anguish, and she stood up from the chair, as if to move away from the horrific sight before her. She was shaking her head as she looked back at him, tears now streaming down her face, unable to comprehend what she knew he was silently asking of her.

It was pretty clear to Harry, and probably to their captors, that Ruth was struggling with the situation. He was, so how could she not be. The stand off couldn't last forever.

"Do you want watch him die?" The man asked Ruth. A whimper escaped from her mouth, but nothing more.

The man next to Ruth stood up and his voice changed slightly. "We'll give you both a bit longer to think about it shall we?" He smiled cruelly as he and the man holding the gun walked towards the exit. "Not too long though." They left the room, locking the door behind them.

Ruth remained standing for a while, her tears slowing. Her breathing also slowed, as did Harry's. With nowhere else to go, she returned to the chair opposite him and they sat in silence for a long time, simply looking at each other.

Harry felt like he kept opening his mouth, then closing it again, wanting to ask one of the countless questions that were rampaging though his head, but certain that this was not the time or place. He wanted to know how they had found her, but even more than that he wanted to know how she was. Where had she been? Had she missed him as much as he missed her? And how on earth were they going to get themselves out of here?

Ruth also had questions for Harry running through her head. Had he been looking after himself? Well, obviously not recently. And did he really expect her to watch him get shot in front of her? She thought he looked older and tired, which was understandable given their current plight, but he was still the Harry she remembered. Strong and determined. Single-minded.

That might have been what Ruth thought, but Harry didn't feel single-minded at this point in time. Not with Ruth sitting opposite him. He was torn between ignoring the demands of his captors, and simply giving in and telling them what they wanted so he could get Ruth and himself released, if that was even possible.

Moving forward where he sat, Harry leaned his elbows on his knees and looked down at the floor. He knew their captors wanted them to talk. They wanted to play them off against each other and see which one would give in first. He wished desperately that he could think of some way to get them out of here. Some way to get them back to the reality, warped though it may be, of the grid. There he could actually talk to her. There he could actually think.

Without warning, the door opened and two men they hadn't seen before strode in. They grabbed Harry under the arms, lifting him out of the chair, and dragged him over to the door. "Ruth ..." Harry whispered softly, the fear showing in his voice. It was the first time he had said her name out loud since she had appeared in front of him.

"Harry!" Ruth couldn't stop herself from calling out, as she helplessly watched him disappear through the door. "HARRY!"

That was the last thing Harry heard as he was taken down a long corridor and into another room. Her voice calling his name was the thing he tried to concentrate on as he saw what awaited him.

Ruth was left alone in the empty room. Her tears had returned in abundance and as she stood there, she held her arms, wrists tied together, against her chest. Her fingers digging into her skin in frustration. She stayed in the middle of the room, finally giving in and sobbing loudly.

***************************

To Ruth it seemed like hours before anyone returned to the room. Her sobbing had continued for a long time, and once it had stopped, she had sat back on the chair. She worried about Harry and whether he was going to do something stupid like continuing to refuse their demands. She knew that he probably would and why, and she wondered what she should say when they next asked her where the uranium was. Could she be as strong as him?

When the door did open again, she raised her head hopefully, willing Harry to walk back in and smile at her. What she saw was the same men who had dragged Harry away. This time they were carrying him, a semi-conscious dead weight, and they carelessly left him on the floor near the chair he had earlier been shoved onto.

The men left the room quickly, without speaking to Ruth. She dropped to the floor beside Harry, and cradled his head in her lap. Eyes and hands searching his body to try and discover what they had done to him. "I'm sorry, Harry. I'm so sorry." The tears began again.

**Once again, your reviews are most appreciated :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok, this is a slightly shorter chapter, but it was written rather quickly to get it up asap. Although the date on this will say 5 Nov, because of time zones 8.1 still hasn't screened yet (but is imminent). I am sure my version of events is quite different to the script - see what you think.**

Harry's eyes fluttered open slightly, connecting briefly with Ruth's. Her eyes were concentrated on him, and there was a moment of recognition from him before his eyes closed again. His head rolled to the side and he felt Ruth's hands on either side of his face. It was a sensation he remembered with clarity from their farewell at the dock: Ruth comforting him with a gentle touch, and a kiss.

Just like back then, Harry felt incapable of moving. At the dock it had been shock and incomprehension, but this time it was due to the fact his body had just been subjected to physical trauma. Trauma that left him utterly exhausted and in extreme pain.

All of a sudden he felt a drop fall onto his cheek. Opening his eyes again and focusing on Ruth, he realised it was another tear escaping. He battled to clear his throat and say something to stop her from crying.

"Ruth." He croaked. "Don't ... I'll be alright."

Ruth raised her head and her brow furrowed as she glared at him. "How can you be alright? Look at what they've done to you. You can barely move!"

Harry tried to sit up, and failed, slumping back to the floor. "I will be alright. I just need a bit of time."

Ruth made a snorting sound as she attempted to wipe the tears from her face, and then gingerly helped Harry to a position where he was able to sit, leaning against her. His head rested on Ruth's shoulder and she could feel him wincing as he tried to convince her that he was already on the mend. What a load of bollocks, she thought as he told her it was really only his back that hurt.

His attempts to cheer her up did seem to be working a bit, thought Harry. He could sense a slight smile had materialised, and was pleased that her mind had been diverted, at least for a moment, from the reason they were both here. He had no desire to return to that reason, but there was no choice given they would probably not be left alone for long.

"Ruth. They'll be back again soon. They haven't got what they want yet, and they are going to keep trying."

"Harry, I don't know if I can do this. Not if they ..." She was thinking about the torture he had been subjected to, and there was a shakiness that came into her voice.

Harry didn't know if she could take it either. He didn't want to ask her to go through that, but wasn't sure that they would take him away again. That was the whole point of having both of them wasn't it? To try one, and then the other. Expecting one of them to give in.

"Ruth, if they take you out of this room ... you tell them. You tell them where it is. And we'll sort something out, okay? We'll find a way to stop them later."

"Harry, it won't come to that. They can't be far away now ... Lucas and Ros, I mean."

At that, Harry twisted his head to look directly at Ruth. "How do you know? You've seen them?"

Ruth realised she had just let slip that she hadn't simply been abducted. Harry knew MI5 wouldn't know she was here if she hadn't already been to see them. She wouldn't know about Lucas – he was gone before she had joined MI5 - if she hadn't already told them of the existence of the clandestine operation.

It all started to click into place for Harry. Of course. There would have been a ransom demand, probably broadcast online. Had Ruth seen it and come out of hiding to let the team know about the operation?

Ruth could see Harry's mind ticking over and responded to the unasked questions. "I ... I wasn't sure what to do. But they said you were dead. There was a video of it. And I couldn't believe it. Then they traced me. They were coming after me, and I had to get out. There was nowhere else to go, I couldn't think of anywhere else. So I just picked up the phone and rang Thames House."

So simple, thought Harry. A video, the Internet, and a phone call. And now she was here, caught up in this world again.

**Enjoy - I hope to have some more written soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I wrote the previous chapters before s8 was screened. This chapter was written after, and was a lot more difficult, but I wanted to resolve it somehow. I tried to keep the same (or as close as possible) level of tension as I had in the earlier chapters, but not sure if I managed that or not. **

**Hope you enjoy the conclusion.  
**

Harry and Ruth found themselves alone in the locked room for longer than they expected. They talked quietly for a while. Discussing inconsequential subjects like their favourite books, cooking, and Ruth's cats. Once they had succumbed to talking, passing the time like that was amazingly easy and calming.

Both were surprised that their captors had not returned, but neither voiced their surprise. They simply hoped it meant something, or someone, had stalled them long enough for them to be found and rescued. They had settled into silence again, and the cogs in Ruth's mind had been working overtime.

"Harry?"

"Yes?"

"It doesn't look to me like they're watching us in here. I mean, I know there might be cameras hidden, but I haven't been able to spot them yet."

It didn't take long for Harry to catch onto Ruth's train of thought. "If they're not watching, they won't know what to expect when they next walk through the door."

Ruth grinned at him. "Surely we can do something?"

"I'm not sure I'm up to overpowering them just at the moment."

"It wouldn't just be you would it?" Ruth went on to explain to Harry what she had in mind, and he could feel a semblance of energy returning to his body as the adrenalin began to trickle forth.

Despite the sparseness of the room, they did have several items to hand. To start with there were the two chairs. They were the wooden kind with long flat slats loosely attached to the seat. Loose enough that they could be detached with a strong, swift movement.

Then there was the blind hanging in the window. Harry hadn't taken much notice of it before. Partly because he wasn't in any state to do so, but also because it was raised high, out of sight, letting in the light. It was made from flimsy strips of metal held together by strong cord, all of which were very useful.

The chairs and blind combined, were enough for Harry and Ruth to form a plan to mount an attack on their captors. They would only have one chance of success though. And if it didn't work, they would be back to square one. Or worse.

* * *

After the previous hours of turmoil, Harry and Ruth knew the end was in sight. They knew that it wouldn't be much longer, and both were silently wishing it to come sooner rather than later, no matter what the outcome.

They had briefly talked tactics, then quickly and quietly prepared what they needed, moving into their agreed positions. Harry returned to a slumped pose on the floor, giving the impression of him being asleep. Ruth was seated on one of the chairs, which had been placed with military precision not far from where Harry lay.

When the door finally opened, everything happened in the blink of an eye. One man strode over to Harry and crouched to see what state he was in. The other headed for Ruth. He reached her just as the first man bent over Harry.

In a flash, Harry rolled over. The slat of wood which had been hidden beneath his body, and was now gripped tightly in his handcuffed hands, slammed into the side of the man's head.

WHAM!

At exactly the same time, Ruth yanked up the the cord she had held hidden in the folds of her skirt, threw it around the second man's neck and pulled tightly.

Both men were rendered unconscious. One from the solid thump which had dropped him straight to the ground, the other strangled with the remnants of the blind. Faced with the reality of committing grievous bodily harm, Ruth had wavered slightly, but was helped by Harry who took charge as soon as he was able to scramble to his feet.

Flashing a quick look of triumph at Ruth, Harry grabbed her hand and they ran to the open door. Pausing just long enough to check that the corridor was clear, they made their way down the lone set of stairs, and this time found themselves in a dark service corridor. Light at the end of it indicated the way out.

* * *

As they headed for a clump of trees at the end of the driveway, Harry and Ruth heard the half-muffled sound of a helicopter approaching. Conscious the threat was returning, they ran for cover with a new sense of urgency.

It wasn't until they reached the trees, and Harry took a moment to look back and gather his thoughts, that he realised the helicopter belonged to MI5. As it hovered closer to the ground, preparing to land, he could even make out a familiar face.

Ruth recognised Lucas as he leapt from the chopper, which had scarcely touched down. She turned to Harry, rubbing at her still bound wrists.

They locked eyes and smiled at each other.

**One final review ... please?**


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